Reviews — Invertebrate Palceontology. 469 



have effectively concealed their thoughts from the Southerner in 

 other publications dealing with the coalfields of the same areas. 



R. H. R. 



Invertebrate Paleontology : An Introduction to the Study 



OP Fossils. By H. L. Hawkins, M.Sc, F.G.S. pp. xix, 



226, with 16 plates. London : Methuen & Co. 1920. Price 



6s. 6d. net. 



rpmS book is apparently intended for those who are beginning 



-^ the study of fossils, and also for students who have already 



some knowledge of palaeontology. The first four chapters deal with 



the scojoe and aim of palaeontology ; the nature, occurrence, 



preservation, collecting, and preparation of fossils ; and with 



stratigraphical and physiographical palaeontology. These chapters 



are written in a clear and interesting style, and with the 



accompanying illustrations should prove attractive to beginners. 



The second part of the book " is designed to give an epitome of 

 the sequence of evolution as it has been unfolded in geological 

 time". This part is divided into (1) Pre-Cambrian Faunas, (2) 

 Lower Palaeozoic Faunas, (3) Upper Paleozoic Faunas, (4) Mesozoic 

 Faunas, (5) Cainozoic Faunas. By taking these relatively long 

 time-divisions the author is able to give a more continuous account 

 of the general evolutionary changes in the various groups of fossils 

 than is possible when the life of each geological system is considered 

 separately. But, as the author points out, this part of the book will 

 be intelligible only to those readers who have some considerable 

 knowledge of morphological and systematic palaeontology ; and the 

 same remark applies to the preceding chapter on " Biological 

 Palaeontology ", in which " an attempt has been made to give a 

 general account of the broad outlines of phylogenetic evolution ". 

 The author here deals with the more modern lines of research in 

 the Palaeontology of the Invertebrata, in a way which should 

 arouse the interest of students. We think it would have been an 

 advantage if this chapter had been expanded and fully illustrated, 

 since this aspect of Palaeontology has been less frequently dealt with 

 in textbooks than the subjects of the other chapters. 



REPORTS AND PROCEEDINGS. 



British Association, Cardiff, 1920. 



Section C. — Geology. 



1. Presidential address by Dr. F. A. Bather, F.R.S. (see p. 473). 



2. Professor A. Hubert Cox : Address on the Geology of the 

 Cardiff District. 



3. Dr. J. W. Evans, F.R.S. : The Origin of the Alkali Igneous 

 Rocks. 



These rocks, distinguished by unusually high proportion of alkalies, 

 relatively to alumina and lime, occur mainly where the crust of the earth 



